As a dietitian specialising in eating disorder recovery, I’ve worked with countless clients who feel stuck in the same exhausting pattern: eating “perfectly” all week, then losing control on weekends, constant mental noise about food, and the exhausting belief that perfection will fix everything.
I understand this struggle personally. As a teenager, I vividly remember waking up at 3am with cold sweats from the binge I had the night before. I ate ‘perfectly’ all week, and binged when I couldn’t keep going anymore. Food and exercise occupied 100% of my brain space. But after years of work and lots of trial and error, I can finally say: food doesn’t control me anymore, this freedom changed everything, and I want that for you too.
Today, after 3 degrees and 10+ years in the field, I’m sharing the strategies that helped me and hundreds of clients – not another set of rules, but a genuine path to peace with food. 🤍
Understanding the Restrict-Binge Cycle
Let’s face the uncomfortable truth: strict food plans don’t work. You can only eat chicken and broccoli for so long before you’re face-first in cookies. Not to mention that restrictive eating leads to increased food preoccupation, loss of hunger/fullness cues, binge episodes, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal disruption (including loss of your period), and social isolation.
The cycle: restriction → deprivation → intense cravings → loss of control → guilt → more restriction.
Ask yourself: can I eat like this in 5 years? If not, it’s unsustainable. The good news? There’s a better way. With some time and patience, along with the tips I’m going to share with you today, you can live a genuinely healthy lifestyle and create a body and life you love — free from obsession and stress surrounding food and your body.
Stay tuned for the next article to learn more about My Top Tips for Food Freedom